Canada in Afghanistan

[John McGillivray]

Canadian soldier killed, 11 injured in Afghan blast
Updated Thu. Sep. 17 2009 5:37 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A Canadian soldier has died in an Afghan bomb attack, the second such death in less than a week.
The soldier has been identified as 23-year-old Pte. Jonathan Couturier of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment, based in Valcartier, Que.
Couturier, who was involved in a mission to seize weapons and control Taliban movements, was killed when an improvised explosive device exploded.
He is the 131st Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
Eleven others were also injured in the blast, but those injuries weren't serious, said Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance.
The death comes a day after the body of Pte. Patrick Lormand, 21, returned to Canada in an emotional ceremony at CFB Trenton in Ontario.
Lormand was killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday in Afghanistan's southwest near Kandahar City.
Earlier on Thursday, six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghans were killed in Kabul by a suicide car bomber.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast and it came despite massive security in the Afghan capital.
Violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan as thousands of U.S. troops have entered the country with the intention of pushing insurgents out of their strongholds.
The attacks also follow a highly contentious presidential election, which still has no clear winner.
In the weeks before Afghans went to the ballot boxes, the Taliban vowed to disrupt voting through violence and intimidation.

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